LEGUMINOS £. 523 
red mass, having when dry a resinous fracture, and being 
soluble in water, to which it communicates a garnet colour. It 
- contains C,H,O,N, and S, but its exact composition has not 
_ been determined (it is most likely a mixture of various bodies). 
It is soluble also in weak alcohol, and in acids and alkalies. 
The colour cannot be fixed upon tissues by any known mordant. 
_ This circumstance induced: Professor Clonet to term it achro- 
sine, or “not colouring,” although being coloured itself. The 
_ seeds are the most active part of the plant, and readily act as 
an emeto-cathartic. (Year-Book of Pharmacy, 1876, p. 179.) 
We have separated the colouring matter as above described, 
and after dissolving in water and filtering, the solution was boiled, 
whereupon most of the colour was thrown down as a brown 
precipitate. The precipitate was well washed, dried and pow- 
dered. The powder, of a greenish brown colour, was very 
soluble in ether and alcohol, and sparingly soluble in benzol, 
d separated on evaporation of the solvent into yellow 
stals which became red on exposure to the air. It melted 
quinone derivative very closely allied to emodin. 
The powdered seeds burnt with soda lime yielded 2°75 per 
cent. of nitrogen, which, calculated into proteids, shows the 
_ presence of 17:4 per cent. 
Commerce.—The seeds of these plants are not collected in 
India, but in Senegal they are used as a coffee substitute, and 
are exported to some extent. 
CASSIA ABSUS, Linn. : 
Fig.—Burm. Zeyl., t. 97. 
Hab.—W. Himalayas to Ceylon. The seeds. 
Vernacular.—Chékst, Chaékét (Hind.), K4énkuti, 
ar.), Chinol (@uz.), Karunkénam, Kattukkol (Tam.), 
la-vittulu (Tel.), Bu-tora (Cing.). 
Chimr 
Chanu- 
